Every
year the Automobile License Plate Collector's Association
(ALPCA) holds a survey amongst its membership to
determine the most highly regarded design, amongst
collectors, issued during that calendar year, and
which is then present with the "Best License
Plate Award'. |
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In
2007, the BC Winter Games Plate (above) was
nominated for ALPCA's prestegious "Best
License Plate Award". The picture at
right is taken from the issue of the club's
magazine in which the plate was featured for
the membership. |
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The
BC Winter Olympic Games plate was nominated for
the 2007 award, and, in this writer's highly biased
estimation, found itself the cream of a surprisingly
weak field - given that literally dozens (hundreds?)
of new plate designs are issued each and every year
by our American cousins. |
Of
course, there is no accounting for taste, so if
you would like to see the nomination sheet for yourself,
simply Click
Here! |
While
I think the entries from Georgia, New Jersey, and
Newfoundland are fairly pedestrian; that Ketucky's
entry is rather drab and confusing; and that it
may be wishful thinking on Arizona's part to expect
voters to forgo allegiances to their own home teams
to support the Diamonbacks (remember the Blue Jays
in 2004) - I am only one voter. |
Despite
this having proved to be a very poor indicator
of previous election outcomes (i.e. South Dakota,
with 12 members or approximately 0.5% of the club's
overall membership, won in 2006), it is interesting
to know what sort of electoral heft each of the
nominated States and Provinces will bring to the
table on Super Tuesday (i.e. voting deadline day
- March 4th, 2008). A quick review of the Roster
has revealed the following figures:
|
Arizona |
-
101 voting members; |
Kentucky |
-
34 voting members; |
Michigan
|
-
81 voting members |
Maine |
-
28 voting members; |
New
Jersey |
-
74 voting members; |
British
Columbia |
-
26 voting members; |
North
Carolina |
-
61 voting members; |
Mississippi |
-
14 voting members; |
Georgia |
-
56 voting members; |
Newfoundland |
-
2 voting members; |
Utah |
-
42 voting members; |
PEI |
-
2 voting members. |
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So,
from the outset, the Olympic base is not starting
from a position of strength, however, 82% of voting
members reside in states other than those that have
been nominated, meaning that the outcome is very
much up in the air. Although a Canadian plate (i.e.
NWT) won the first contest held in 1970, it has
now been ten years since a Canadian issue last won
the award (i.e. Manitoba in 1997), so my fingers
are crossed that BC can bring home the Gold. |
If
I were a betting man, and if British Columbia were
not in the competition, my top three finishers for
2007 would be; 1) Mississippi; 2) Michigan and 3)
North Carolina, while my darkhorse candidate being
Utah. |
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Unfortunately, my track record in making these types
of predictions is rather mixed as I thought North
Carolina's "Blue Ridge Parkway" was a
dog, and therefore a safe place to park the 6 points
associated with my second preference vote in 2004,
and look what happened there, it finished 3rd, and
right ahead of the BC Veteran plate! However, my
third place vote that year (meaning the other one
I thought would mount the least likely challenge
to the Veteran) was Ontario's "Toronto Blue
Jays" plate, and last is where it so deservedly
did finish. Go figure... |
| Postscript |
Okay,
so it was a wipe-out by Mississippi, but you know
what really hurts? That those stinkers in
Utah beat us with their "Life Elevated / Greatest
Snow on Earth" plate! |
But,
why? ... I can't process this outcome! ... There
must be soemthing in the rule book about entering
a plate with two slogans as that clearly represents
an unfair advantage ... Why is the Utah DMV still
peddling the "Greatest Snow on Earth"
slogan anyways? It must recognise that BC is "The
Best Place on Earth" ... My world just doesn't
make sense anymore ... |
|
1st - Mississippi
"General Issue"
(2,559 points) |
2nd - Utah
"General Issue"
(1,394 points) |
3rd - British Columbia
"Winter Olympic Games"
(1,159 points) |
4th - Michigan
"Spectacular Peninsula"
(952 points) |
5th - North Carolina
"Friends of the Smokies"
(863 points) |
6th - Maine
"Agriculture"
(469 points) |
7th - PEI
"General Issue"
(435 points) |
8th - Georgia
"General Issue"
(191 points) |
9th - New Jersey
"General Issue"
(187 points) |
10th - Arizona
"Diamondbacks"
(186 points) |
11th - Newfoundland
"General Issue"
(169 points) |
12th - Kentucky
"Birthplace of Lincoln"
(156 points) |
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